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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786143">In The Hands Of The Enemy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittenninja/pseuds/skittenninja'>skittenninja</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Gen, Kidnapping, Unconsciousness, Whump, whumptober2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:47:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittenninja/pseuds/skittenninja</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Whumptober 2020 Day Two: A standard patrol for the knights goes horribly wrong for Merlin in particular.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949905</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In The Hands Of The Enemy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bandits.</p>
<p>It just always had to be bandits.</p>
<p>As Merlin dodged arrows flying his way and nearly avoided taking a sword to the neck, he couldn’t help but wonder, at the back of his mind, why they could never just have a normal patrol.</p>
<p>The clang of metal meeting metal from directly behind him caused Merlin to spin around, which is where he saw Leon clashing with another one of their assailants. Camelot red stood out against the darker autumnal colours that the group was wearing, which in hindsight probably made them instant targets.</p>
<p>Without a word, Merlin effortlessly knocked the bandit off his feet with a slight push of magic. It was unnoticeable enough that anyone else would just think he lost his balance. The man went down hard and hit the forest ground, not getting back up afterwards. Leon stood there in confusion for a moment, clearly puzzled by what had just happened.</p>
<p>Merlin scanned the area quickly to make sure no one was in immediate danger. Gwaine had disarmed a man, but instead of killing him he brought the hilt of his sword down upon his attacker’s head, knocking him out. Percival and Elyan were each fighting off another bandit while another one lay dead just beside them, and another two were running away from Lancelot, who seemed to have just finished off someone.</p>
<p>Finally, Merlin’s eyes found Arthur, who was just joined by Leon in fighting off three men. It seemed the fight was mostly over, as any real threat to them had been killed or fled. He suspected Gwaine intended to take the bandit he’d knocked out back to Camelot for questioning. Maybe then they’d figure out why the wood always seemed to be crawling with these people.</p>
<p>Merlin was about to move closer to Arthur and Leon’s fight, just in case a foe needed to conveniently drop their sword or get hit by a falling tree branch, but he never got the chance to.</p>
<p>He felt a pair of hands suddenly grab him and pull him backwards, catching him completely off guard. A spell was on Merlin’s lips to shake off his attacker, but a hand and cloth clamped over his face before he could speak it, leaving it trapped inside his mouth.</p>
<p>Had he had the time to think about it, Merlin would have tried not to breathe, but he unfortunately didn’t have the foresight to make such an attempt. The surprise attack had caused him to inhale sharply, a sickly-sweet sense hitting his nose instantly. The hand over his face kept the cloth firmly in place.</p>
<p>Merlin immediately began to feel lightheaded, the forest around him beginning to blur and sway as he tried in vain to pry his attacker’s hands from off of him. He was being led somewhere, or maybe it was just his own unsteady feet misleading him. Either possibility scared him.</p>
<p>Spells and plans of action half-formed in his mind before disappearing into the fog that was quickly consuming his senses. Nothing stayed long enough for Merlin to focus on it, and both his tongue and eyelids felt heavy, like his whole head was filled with cotton.</p>
<p>His legs finally gave out from under him as the forest blended into a multicoloured mess before his eyes, shapes melting away and distant faces fading.</p>
<p>The last thing Merlin caught sight of was a Camelot red cape billowing in the wind.</p>
<p>Then there was only darkness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Aaaah this one's so short ;-;</p></blockquote></div></div>
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